in the midst, and we'll talk about the fiscal cliff in a minute, about the midst of the fiscal cliff and who's doing what, this is a huge news story, dropped on capitol hill that seemed to take everybody by surprise. what's the reaction up there. >> reporter: the pieces that are less sprying look at the fact that republicans failed to reclaim majority, that always has an influence on how much power senators think they have if they're among the minority. jim demint said he would not seek another term. at some point there was a plan for him to forecast his future. the timing of doing it right now certainly caught people by surprise. but it also is a point where it tells you that he feels comfortable that the voice of objection on some things has been the seed has been filled here. he's got a mike lee of utah, rand paul of kentucky, who can fill some of the void that he would be leaving. it really is also, perhaps, good news for someone like mitch mcconnell, he can with his own reelections coming up not have the counterweight of jim demint's considerable presence within the chamber. so